In the days leading up to last Sunday’s junta-controlled elections, photos of former lieutenant general Aung Aung, dressed in traditional Myanmar attire, were visible everywhere in the Shan State capital Taunggyi.
The photos appeared in campaign flyers highlighting his status as holder of such illustrious military titles as Zeya Kyaw Htin and Sithu. The flyers also carried the slogan of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP): “Rule of law must be ensured.”
To locals, the USDP candidate for Taunggyi’s seat in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of the Union parliament, is best known as their state’s regime-appointed chief minister. Outside of Myanmar, however, he is better known as the commander of the army’s notorious Light Infantry Division (LID) 33 during its deadly campaign of violence against Rohingya civilians in 2017.
In that capacity, he stands accused of responsibility for numerous war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, rape, and the systematic destruction of Rohingya homes, for which he faces sanctions from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Monaco.
Promoted to lieutenant general after his turn as LID 33 commander, he has since held a number of key positions within the military, including as head of the Southwestern Regional Military Command and commander of Special Operations Force 2.
Then, on January 31, 2024, he was appointed chief minister of Shan State, positioning him to assume a role in politics once the regime decided to transition back to quasi-civilian rule.
However, none of this helped him last Sunday, when he was decisively defeated by Nan Kyin, the candidate for the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO), one of a handful of junta-approved political groups allowed to contest the election.
Nan Kyin beat his rival by more than 10,000 votes, despite Aung Aung’s advantage in a city that hosts the junta’s Eastern Regional Military Command.
“They probably expected a sure win, but the Pa-O party won by a very clear margin. Even advance votes [from military personnel] couldn’t save him,” said a Taunggyi resident who asked not to be identified for security reasons.
The PNO is the political wing of the Pa-O National Army, an ethnic militia that has been fighting alongside junta troops in southern Shan State.
For this reason, Nan Kyin’s victory is not expected to affect the political status quo. However, it could be seen as a rebuke to the regime, according to one local.
“It comes as no surprise,” he said. “People were forced to vote.”
